Francesco’s is an Italian Restaurant by Chef Francesco Rizzo (chef of the former Paparazzi in Edsa Shangri-La) that serves traditional regional cuisine—from brick oven pizzas, to home made pastas, to ossobucos, to Italian desserts. 🙂
With the success of their flagship branch on Mabini St., San Juan, they finally opened Francesco’s in BGC to provide authentic Italian food to its professionals and food enthusiasts.
Here’s what we think of Francesco’s BGC…
The Best of New Italian Restaurants in Manila (2020):
Yamazato, founded in Hotel Okura Tokyo in 1962, is a Japanese fine dining restaurant specializing in kaiseki and teppanyaki experiences at the Resorts World Manila complex.
Yamazato comes from its two Kanji characters 山 “yama” meaning “mountain” plus 里 “zato” meaning “village,” signifying the highest quality of Japanese food in Manila with focus on fresh produce and prime seafood from Japan.
We celebrated our 17th Wedding Anniversary with the family with an intimate kaiseki meal.
Here are some tips for your next awesome Yamazato experience in Manila…
YAMAZATO MANILA
Address: 2nd Floor, Hotel Okura Manila, 2 Portwood Street, Newport City, Pasay City 1309 Metro Manila, Philippines Operating Hours:
Lunch: 11:30 AM to 2:30 PM (Tuesdays to Sundays)
Dinner: 6:00 PM to 10:00 PM (Tuesdays to Sundays) Telephone: +632 5318 2888 Facebook: Hotel Okura Manila Instagram: @hotelokuramnl Website: https://www.hotelokuramanila.com/culinary/yamazato
Panda Express opened in Megamall towards the end of 2019 and, up to now, people still line up for their famous chicken for more than an hour during peak hours.
We have better Chinese restaurants in Manila, so is it really worth it to queue for American Chinese fast food? Here’s what we think…
We have experienced almost all the best hotel staycation experiences in Manila in the last decade with our four boys.
Here’s to the family’s top ten memorable stays in the metro during the last ten years—from the grandest rooms, to the fanciest breakfasts and restaurants, to the most exciting pools and kids facilities, down to the most excellent service and spa treatments:
1. OKADA MANILA STAYCATION (Overall, the Best Staycation Experience in Manila!)
Dubbed as “Manila’s Grand Icon,” OKADA Manila in Entertainment City is a 44-hectare oceanfront Japanese Integrated Resort with a steel and glass facade.
It’s the flagship Okada Manila resort and the largest integrated resort in Manila, combining a 993-room Y-shaped hotel, 10 restaurants, 4522 square meters of ballroom and function rooms, Asia’s largest ultra-luxury indoor beach club and the world’s largest multicolor dancing water feature in one massive complex.
Okada Manila is one of our family’s best staycations ever because they have the best rooms, the best spa, the best restaurants, not to mention an amazing fountain.
We enjoyed relaxing in the room in between the food trips in their restaurants. The Casino areas are off-limits for the kids so make sure to have a conversation with them explaining why.
This is an awesome place to create lasting memories celebrating life’s milestones and special occasions in Manila.
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The Bellevue Manila is the first luxury 5-star hotel in Alabang (circa 2003), providing the best Alabang staycation experience in the urban south!
We recently experienced The Bellevue Manila staycation just before the decade ended, and here are some tips for your next family staycation in Alabang.
Phoenix Court is the undisputed fine Chinese Restaurant that’s the best in Alabang, with a 250 seating capacity featuring signature Cantonese food.
We celebrated Joshua’s 12th Birthday with a Chinese lauriat featuring only the best signature dishes at Phoenix Court.
PHOENIX COURT
2nd floor, Tower Wing, The Bellevue Manila,
Northgate Cyberzone, North Bridgeway, Alabang, Muntinlupa
Monday – Thursday from 11 AM to 2.30 PM and 6 PM to 10 PM
Friday – Sunday from 11 AM to 2.30 PM and 6 PM to 10.30 PM. Telephone: (+632) 8771-8181 local 2211 Email: [email protected] Facebook: The Bellevue Manila Instagram: @bellevuemanila Website: https://www.thebellevuemanila.com/
Located in Brgy. Paligsahan, NANKA is a 120-seater standalone restaurant that recently branded from a Japanese Latin concept into a Japanese Steakhouse concept under the helm of Executive Chef Michael Santos.
It’s now known as one of the best steakhouses in Quezon City, serving Japanese Wagyu imported from Japan and Black Onyx Angus Steaks and WX (Wagyu-Angus) meats from Ranger Valley, Australia (usually only served in hotels).
Here are some tips on what to order on your next steakhouse dining with the family at Nanka…
NANKA JAPANESE STEAKHOUSE
1810 Mother Ignacia Ave. corner Roces Ave., Quezon City, Philippines Operating Hours: Mondays to Saturday 11:00 AM – 2:00 PM, 5:00 PM – 11:00 PM Telephone: +632 8517-9677 Mobile: +63 977 621-8472 Email: [email protected] Facebook:Nanka Japanese Steakhouse Instagram: @nanka_ph
The Cellar is Grand Hyatt’s hotel bar featuring Spanish small plates and tapas with a premium wine selection, handcrafted beer and specialized cocktails.
The private rooms are quite dramatic, with the main dining area featuring an open kitchen where the chefs prepare more than 100-year-old recipes from an old Spanish restaurant in Manila.
We ordered The Cellar’s best dishes and here are our favorites…
The Cellar
2nd Floor, Grand Hyatt Manila, 8th Avenue corner, 35th Street, Taguig Operating Hours: Open Daily
Lunch: 12:00 NOON – 2:30 PM
Dinner: 6:00 PM – 11:00 PM
Sunday Brunch: 12:00 NOON – 2:30 PM Telephone: +632 8838-1234 Email: [email protected] Instagram: @grandhyattmanilaph Facebook: Grand Hyatt Manila Website: Grand Hyatt’s The Cellar
Check out low Grand Hyatt rates and availability from Booking.com.
No. 8 China House, named after its auspicious location on 8th Avenue in BGC, is a modern Chinese restaurant serving fine Cantonese cuisine. This is one of the best lauriat experiences we had in Manila because of the exquisite interiors of its private rooms, the auto-rotate lazy susan table and its Cantonese specialty dishes.
Here are some tips on what to order and how to organize your next fine lauriat dining celebration…
The Grand Kitchen is the all-day dining buffet of Grand Hyatt that’s set up with a grand show kitchen in the middle and cozy living areas around it. It’s like eating at a chef’s table from any angle.
Make sure to go for food that’s freshly cooked upon order, otherwise some of the food are just left out on the buffet to dry or lose their crisp. I would recommend going for the cross-over Sunday Brunch with The Cellar and the signature Meatless Monday buffet.
It’s quite intimidating to try it at first because of how grand the set-up and selections are, so here’s a guide on how to navigate the Grand Kitchen…
The Grand Kitchen
2nd Floor, Grand Hyatt Manila, 8th Avenue corner, 35th Street, Taguig Operating Hours: Open Daily
Breakfast: 6:30 AM – 10:30 AM
Lunch: 12:00 NOON – 2:30 PM
Dinner 6:00 PM – 10:00 PM Telephone: +632 8838-1234 Email: [email protected] Instagram: @grandhyattmanilaph Facebook: Grand Hyatt Manila Website: Grand Kitchen
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